Architecture, system and method for providing a plug-in architecture in a real-time web application framework

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for providing a plug-in architecture in a real-time web application framework is described. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving an application to be installed on a hub of a real-time web application framework. The method may also include installing the application on an entry point of the hub, the application one of a plurality of different types of applications to be automatically run by the hub.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the applications entitled ARCHITECTURE,SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING REAL TIME WEB APPLICATION FRAMEWORKSOCKET concurrently filed on Nov. 25, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/626,464; ARCHITECTURE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING REAL TIMEWIDGETS IN A WEB APPLICATION FRAMEWORK, concurrently filed on Nov. 25,2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/626,471; ARCHITECTURE, SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR A MESSAGING HUB IN A REAL-TIME WEB APPLICATION FRAMEWORK,concurrently filed on Nov. 25, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/626,482; and ARCHITECTURE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME WEBAPPLICATIONS, concurrently filed on Nov. 25, 2009, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/626,497.

FIELD OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of web applications,and more particularly, to providing a plug-in architecture in areal-time web application framework.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Information is commonly exchanged over the internet via web applicationsrun in web browsers. Often these applications intend to make web pagesfeel interactive by exchanging small amounts of data with a serveracting on the other side of a client machine. The information exchangeusually occurs when a web application requests data and/or requestsupdates from the server. Thus, web application that obtain, display, anddistribute data in real time incurs computational expense and computecycles at a client side web browser, in order to processes and issuesrequests. Furthermore, computing expenses are also consumed at a webserver when handling and/or responding to web browser requests. Oftenthe computational costs imposed on both the web browser and servercomputer are for naught, as new or updated data may not be available.

Furthermore, frameworks for creating these web applications requirecomplex programming in JAVASCRIPT, AJAX, etc., as well as otherweb-based programming languages. Creating web applications and webcomponents utilizing these technologies requires an applicationsprogrammer to have intricate knowledge of each technology, understandthe protocols supported by each technology, and determine how totranslate between disparate web components and communications protocols.The results are either overly complex web applications that require asignificant amount of user time to develop, or web applications that donot support cross-platform/technology communications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood more fully from the detaileddescription given below and from the accompanying drawings of variousembodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken tolimit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanationand understanding only.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary system architecture forproviding real-time web applications.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an exemplary system architecture forproviding real-time web applications.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for providing aweb page including a framework widget registered with a real-time webapplication framework.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for a real-timeweb application framework obtaining and distributing messages toclients.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for a frameworksocket and a client to process an incoming data message for a giventopic.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a framework widget.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a hub in a real-time webapplication framework.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for a hub of areal-time web application framework installing and running plug-inapplications.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for a hub of areal-time web application framework to run a plug-in application.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A method and apparatus for providing a plug-in architecture in areal-time web application framework is described. In one embodiment, themethod includes receiving an application to be installed on a hub of areal-time web application framework. The method may also includeinstalling the application on an entry point of the hub, the applicationone of a plurality of different types of applications to beautomatically run by the hub.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of exemplary system architecture 100 forproviding real-time web applications. In one embodiment, the systemincludes a real time application framework 110, clients 102, andexternal resources 140. The framework 110, external resources 140, andclients 102 may be coupled to a computer network 104 that communicatesvia any of the standard protocols for the exchange of information.

In one embodiment, real time application framework 110 is responsiblefor creating and distributing real-time web applications embedded in webpages, and for creating an environment for application programmers tocreate web applications. In one embodiment, the real time webapplications include framework widgets provided to clients, such asclient 102, from real time application framework 110. In one embodiment,a framework widget is a live web component that is updated in real timein response to receiving data messages, and processes the message in agraphical user interface of client 102. In one embodiment, the updatescorrespond to topic subscriptions of the framework widgets. In oneembodiment, a topic is an abstraction of a messaging queue or messagebroker, and thus a framework widget subscribes to receiving datamessages from the corresponding message queue or message broker.

In one embodiment, the data messages for given topics are obtained fromexternal resources 140, or other resources connected to the network 104,and are distributed by the real time application framework 100 to theframework widgets currently rendered in a web page displayed by client102. In one embodiment, the data messages are provided to the frameworkwidgets without the framework widgets, a web browser of the client, orthe client itself, issuing requests, polling the real time applicationframework, or otherwise proactively seeking updated data.

In one embodiment, in order to receive an initial web page, client 102issues a request for a web page served by real time applicationframework 110. In one embodiment, the web page request is a standardhypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request made to a web server of thereal time application framework. In response to the request, real timeapplication framework 110 responds with the requested web page. In oneembodiment, the web page includes framework widgets for updatingcomponents of the web page in real time.

In one embodiment, as the web page including the framework widgets isprovided to the client 102, real time application framework 110 furtheropens a framework socket 110 in client 102. In one embodiment, theframework socket is a live connection between the client and real timeapplication framework 110. In one embodiment, the framework socket isreferred to as live because the framework socket is persistently openwhile the web page is being displayed by client 102. Furthermore, theframework socket enables an open communications connection betweenclient and real time application framework 110 through which differentcommunications protocols, data messages, etc. may flow through. In oneembodiment, the framework socket remains open to enable real timeapplication framework 110 to provide data messages to framework widgetsrendered in client 102 without receiving requests from the client and/orthe framework widgets.

In one embodiment, real time application framework 110 obtains data inreal time. In one embodiment, real time application framework 110 runsapplications that poll external resources 140 over network 104 todetermine if new and/or updated data is available at the externalresources 104. In one embodiment, the applications are installed asplug-in applications on a server of the real time application framework110. When new or updated data is available at the external resources140, real time application framework 110 obtains the data fordistribution to framework widgets. In one embodiment, real timeapplication framework 110 obtains the data from external resources 110as the data becomes available in real time.

In one embodiment, after real time application framework 110 obtains thedata, real time application framework 110 pushes the data to client 102.In one embodiment, real time application framework includes a messagebroker, discussed below, which determines which clients are to receivethe data message. The message broker then routes the data messages tothe appropriate clients. In one embodiment, real time applicationframework 110 pushes the data to the framework widgets rendered inclients 102 via the live framework socket. As discussed herein, thepersistent connection between the framework socket and the real timeapplication framework 110 enables the framework 110 to deliver updateddata to the clients without the clients proactively seeking the data. Inone embodiment, responsive to receiving the updated data, the frameworkwidgets rendered in client 102 further process the message for updatingand displaying the updated data in a web page or web applicationdisplayed in client 102.

In one embodiment, real time application framework 110 continues toobtain updated data and distribute the updates to clients 102 in realtime as updated data becomes available. The framework widgets renderedin the clients 102 continue to update as new data messages are received.As a result, the interaction between the framework widgets rendered inclients 102 and the framework 110 enable the creation, distribution, andrunning of real time web applications.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of exemplary system architecture 150 forproviding real-time web applications. System architecture 150illustrates additional details, according to the embodiments discussedbelow, for architecture 100 discussed above in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the system 150 includes a real-time web applicationframework 110, external resources 140, and a plurality of clients 102.The framework 110 and external resources 140 may reside on the same ordifferent machines (e.g., a server computer system, a gateway, apersonal computer, etc.). The framework 110, external resources 140, andclients 102 may be coupled to a computer network 104 that communicatesvia any of the standard protocols for the exchange of information. Theymay run on one Local Area Network (LAN) and may be incorporated into thesame physical or logical system, or different physical or logicalsystems.

Alternatively, the framework 110, external resources 140, and clients102 may reside on different LANs that may be coupled together via theInternet but separated by firewalls, routers, and/or other networkdevices. In yet another configuration, the framework 110 and externalresources 140 may reside on a server, or different servers, coupled toother devices via a public network (e.g., the Internet) or a privatenetwork (e.g., LAN). It should be noted that various other networkconfigurations can be used including, for example, hostedconfigurations, distributed configurations, centralized configurations,etc.

In one embodiment, clients 102 are user computer systems that runstandard web browsers for accessing the framework 110 as well asnon-framework resources over the internet. The computer systems may runany web browser, such as FIREFOX, INTERNET EXPLORER, OPERA, etc. toaccess and interact with the framework 110. In one embodiment, theclients 102 issue requests to web servers 112 and receive web pages, fordisplay in a web browser run on the clients 102. In one embodiment, theweb pages include applications with real-time web components of theframework 110.

Framework 110 is responsible for providing interactive and real-time webapplications, such as framework widgets 120 and applications 128, toclients 102 in response to web page requests issued by user systems. Inone embodiment, the framework 110 leverages an open source webframework, such as PYTHON for deploying and integrating the variousframework components discussed herein. In one embodiment, as will bediscussed in greater detail below, framework widgets are self-containedlive web applications updated in real-time and embedded in requested webpage content. In one embodiment, the framework widgets are updated andperform various functions in the clients 102 in real time withoutrequiring that additional requests and response be issued by the clients102 and without requiring additional encoding of web content to makesuch requests. Examples of framework widgets include, but are notlimited to, real-time acquisition and display of data feeds (e.g., newsfeeds from CNN, technical literature feeds, etc.), graphical userinterface applications (e.g., graphs updated in real time), instantmessaging, system resource monitoring, software update monitoring andnotification, collaborative editing of a document with other users,communication between instances of framework widgets, communicationbetween client computer systems, games, real time stock tickers, etc.

In one embodiment, web servers 112 of the framework 110 include one ormore server computer systems that execute applications in a web stack(not shown). In one embodiment, the web servers are Web Server GatewayInterface (WSGI) servers that stack a plurality of web applications tobuild a web stack. In one embodiment, the web stack is a grouping ofapplications or layers that deliver a web solution (such as a graphicaluser interface system, enterprise system, framework 110, etc.). In oneembodiment, the web application stack is a set of software applicationsrun on the server 112 to support the development and deployment ofwebsites, web applications, and web services. One example of a webapplication stack that may be managed by web servers 112 is PYTHON.PYTHON is a collection of packages or software modules that enabledevelopers to write web applications or services without having tohandle such low-level details as protocols, process/thread management,etc.

In one embodiment, the web servers 112 include a plurality of servercomputer systems coupled together for collectively processing the webapplications stack and implementing the framework 110 discussed herein.In one embodiment, the web servers 112 also include computer systems(not shown) that are remote from web servers 112 and communicate over anetwork, such as network 104. In one embodiment, the web applicationstack includes web application layers such as authentication layer(s),authorization layer(s), caching layer(s), application or resourceinjection layer(s), etc.

In one embodiment, the web servers 112 receive requests from a clients102 for non-framework web applications and web pages. Such requests aresimply passed through the framework 110 to the corresponding requestedexternal resource(s) 140. When the external resources 140 respond to theuser system request, the framework forwards the requested content to theclient 102. In another embodiment, the external resources 140 transmitthe requested content directly to the requesting client bypassing theframework 110. In one embodiment, the client 102 connects andcommunicates to the external resources 140 through a framework proxy. Inone embodiment, there is a bi-directional connection between the client102 and the external resources 140 via proxies 126. In one embodiment,the external resources 140 communicate with the framework middleware 114via web servers 112. In one embodiment, external resources 140 mayfurther transmit messages to the message broker 116, for messagedistribution discussed below, if framework 110 exposes the messagebroker 116 to external resources 140.

In one embodiment, the framework 110 includes framework middleware 114.Although framework middleware 114 is illustrated outside the web servers112, in one embodiment, the framework middleware 114 is one of thelayers in the web application stack managed and executed by the webservers 112. Framework middleware 114 is one or more computerapplications that connects software components or applications run inweb servers 112. In one embodiment, the middleware consists of a set ofservices that allows multiple processes of the web applications stackrunning on one or more machines to interact, provide a web applicationsframework (such as framework 110), etc.

In one embodiment, framework middleware 112 may be used with existingweb server applications. For example, framework middleware 12 may beadded to an existing middleware application in a web application stack,such as a web stack including TURBOGEARS middleware that consists ofseveral WSGI components such as PYLONS, SQLALCHEMY, GENSHI, and REPOZE.In one embodiment, the framework middleware 112 may be run by webservers 112 as a standalone platform for implementing the framework 110as well as other middleware. In one embodiment, the standalonemiddleware stack includes application modules for profiling, resourcecompression, application dispatch/routing, session management, caching,widget resource injection, authentication, authorization, transactionmanagement, error handling, registry management, and user suppliedapplications.

In one embodiment, the framework 110 includes framework widgets 120 andapplications 128. In one embodiment, a framework widget is a reusableweb component or class that bundles one or more of CSS, stylesheets,JAVASCRIPT, HTML, XML, etc. code to provide a live graphical userinterface element and/or web application that can be updated inreal-time without intervention of a client. In one embodiment, frameworkwidgets are included or embedded within a web page requested by aclients 102 and supplied by the framework 110.

In one embodiment, when a framework widget 120 is delivered to a webpage, framework middleware 114 injects framework socket 150 into theclient 102. In one embodiment, the framework socket 150 is JAVASCRIPTcode that connects to proxies 126. In one embodiment, the connection isa live (i.e., continuously open) communications pathway between theframework socket 150 opened within a web browser run on client 102 andthe proxies 126 of the framework 110. In one embodiment, the liveconnection via the framework socket enables live data to be delivereddirectly to clients 102 without any additional actions performed by aweb page displayed by client 102. In one embodiment, proxy 126 mayreside on a dedicated machine or be part of web servers 112.

In one embodiment, the proxies 126 are proxies that provide aJavaScript/HTML socket, such as framework socket 150, in the clients102. In one embodiment, the live connection provided by framework socket150 enables execution of real-time web applications, such as chat rooms,instant messaging, live graphs, etc., without using any externalplug-ins like FLASH or JAVA. In one embodiment, when a web page isloaded by a client 102, the framework socket 150 is opened automaticallyby the framework middleware 114 and connects, via the proxies 126, to amessage broker 116.

In one embodiment, proxies 126 are a transport layer to enable thereal-time exchange of data between the user systems 102 and messagebroker 116. In one embodiment, the proxies 126 are implemented as COMETSESSION PROTOCOL (CSP) proxies. In one embodiment, proxies 126 are atransport layer of framework 110 in which protocols can flow through.More specifically, the proxies 126 include a group of methods andprotocols within a layered architecture of network components, withinwhich the proxies 126 are responsible for encapsulating and translatingbetween communications protocols application data blocks into data units(datagrams, segments) suitable for transfer to the frameworkinfrastructure. In one embodiment, the proxies 126 are responsible fortranslating and communicating data from the clients 102, regardless ofthe web browser and corresponding supported protocols that are beingused by the browser 102, for transmission to the message broker 116. Inone embodiment, the proxies 126 are also responsible for managing thereverse transaction by abstracting network datagrams and deliveringtheir payload to framework widgets run in a web browser on a user system102. Examples of transport protocols supported by the proxies areTCP/IP, UDP, or implementations of web browser-targeted bi-directionalstream-based protocols, such as CSP (Comet Session Protocol),

In one embodiment, the message broker 116 is run on a server and isresponsible for receiving, storing, and routing messages to and fromclients 102. In one embodiment, the message broker 116 may includemultiple message brokers that route data messages in different protocolsor formats, such as advanced message queuing protocol (AMQP) andstreaming text oriented messaging protocol (STOMP). In one embodiment,proxies 126 also support the AMQP and STOMP messaging protocols, andtherefore translate between the data messages sent by the messagebrokers before receipt by the clients 102. STOMP is a text protocoldesigned to work with message oriented middleware. STOMP provides aninteroperable wire format that enables STOMP clients to talk with STOMPmessage brokers. In one embodiment, the hub 124 also supports the AMQPand STOMP messaging protocols, and therefore enables translation betweenthe data messages sent by the message brokers 116. In one embodiment,the hub 124 also translates after the applications 128 send messages,thus abstracting the underlying message protocol and delivery mechanismsfrom an application author.

In one embodiment, the message broker 116 runs on a web server computer112. However, in one embodiment, message broker 116 could run on its ownserver computer system, a computer system remote from framework 110, acomputer system that is deployed on a different framework, etc. In oneembodiment, the data transport protocols supported by the proxies 126enable a user's web browser to communicate with the message broker 116in whatever protocol is supported by the user system. For example, inembodiments, the proxies 126 support the communications protocols ofINTERNET EXPLORER, FIREFOX, OPERA, etc., and the differentcommunications methods supported by each.

In one embodiment, proxies 126 provide protocol translation betweenclients 102 and the message broker 116. User web browsers run by clients102 communicate via protocols implemented in JAVASCRIPT through theframework socket 150. In one embodiment, the framework socket 150 is anabstraction of the TCP socket in the proxies 126. In one embodiment, theframework socket 150 is also an abstraction of a TCP socket inJAVASCRIPT on a web browser run by a client 102. In one embodiment,clients 102 communicate utilizing the framework socket 150, via theproxies 126, to the message broker 116. In one embodiment, the frameworksocket 150 determines what web browser it is communicating with andopens an appropriate socket type to the proxies 126 to ensure a bestlevel of communication possible, ensure that the framework socketremains live and open for as long as possible, etc. In one embodiment,the opening of a socket and establishing a link with the proxies 126 istransparent to a user, and the user does not know the socket is beingopened.

In one embodiment, when framework widgets 120 are provided and renderedin a web application, each framework widget 120 registers with theframework middleware 114 as it passes through the framework 110 andprior to delivery to client 102. In one embodiment, the first frameworkwidget to successfully establish a framework socket, as discussed above,provides the socket to the other framework widgets. For example, ifthere are three framework widgets on a web page, a first frameworkwidget to render a framework socket on the requested web page wouldshare the framework socket, so that each framework widget couldcommunicate with the message broker 116 via the single framework socket.In one embodiment, the framework widget could also handle setting up andusing the framework socket 150 behind the scenes, allowing the framework110, as an API, to hide any necessary knowledge of the framework socket150 from a developer of the framework widget.

In one embodiment, framework socket 150 connects with the proxies 126.In one embodiment, the framework widgets 120 register callbackfunctions, to be processed by each framework widget, with the middleware114. In one embodiment, the framework socket 150 then renders thepre-registered callbacks in JAVASCRIPT, and sends the callbacks backclients 102. Thus, the framework widgets 120 are already registered withthe framework socket 150 when the client 102 runs the response. In oneembodiment, the callbacks are JAVASCRIPT functions that process messagesreceived by the message broker 116. Once connected in the client 102,the callbacks for a framework widget are executed by the frameworksockets 150 when appropriate (e.g., when a data message is received by aframework widget which triggers a callback function).

In one embodiment, framework widgets 120 subscribe to topics that theframework widget wants to “listen” to. In one embodiment, a topic is anabstraction of a message queue. Thus, a framework widget with asubscription to a topic might include, for example, a framework widgetthat receives data corresponding to a particular news feed, displays agraph updated in real-time, etc. When messages are received at themessage broker 116 for a topic (e.g., data arrives at a message queuefor distribution by the message broker), the data is sent by the messagebroker 116 via the proxies 126 to the framework sockets 150. In oneembodiment, the framework sockets 150 correspond to framework widgetsthat have registered their subscription to the topic with the messagebroker 116. In one embodiment, the framework sockets 150 locally route,within a client 102, received data messages to the particular frameworkwidgets 120 that subscribe to the data. In one embodiment, the webbrowser executes JAVASCRIPT code run by the framework socket 150 onbehalf of the widget to route the received data messages.

For example, when a message arrives at the message broker 116, themessage broker 116 sends the message through the proxies 116 to the webbrowsers 102 run on user systems. In one embodiment, the frameworkwidgets 120 within a web page subscribe to the message queues forcertain topics. The message broker 116 is responsible for routing themessages to the appropriate subscribers. Once a message is received by aclient 102, the framework socket 150 distributes the message to eachframework widget on the page with a corresponding subscription for themessage. In other words, the framework socket 150 performs browser-siderouting of messages, whereas the message broker 116 performs server-siderouting of data messages to subscribers.

In one embodiment, the framework 110 supports various configurablemessage flows (e.g., STOMP, AMQP, etc.), allowing the framework 110 andframework widgets 120 to utilize various message brokers configured bydifferent messaging protocols. In one embodiment, the different protocolbased messaging flows may be utilized by framework 110 at the same time,depending on an environment in which the framework is deployed.

In one embodiment, the hub 124 is a plug-in driven reactor that residesoutside of the web servers 112. The word reactor may also be thought ofas a main event loop in an application. In one embodiment, the hub 124has numerous plug-in applications, such as framework widgets 120 and/orapplications 128. In one embodiment, the plug-in applications 128 may beproducer or consumer applications.

A producer application is one that creates data. In one embodiment, aproducer may be a polling producer. In one embodiment, the pollingproducer is implemented as a JAVA class that specifies certain pollingfunctions (i.e, wake up every minute, get data every two minutes,transmit new data to message broker). The producer might define a pollmethod. In one embodiment, the hub 124 would then, based on the code,start the producer according to the requirements of the producer. Ifthere are new message entries obtained by the producer method, theproducer sends the message to the message broker 116. The producers (aswell as the consumers) have connections to the message broker 116 thatare utilized to send and receive messages with the message broker 116.The hub 124 is responsible for obtaining and distributing messages,churning on data, etc. as required by the plug-in applications 128installed on the hub 124. The message broker 116 is responsible forrouting the messages to appropriate client 102 rendering frameworkwidgets with subscriptions to the topic for which the data messagebelongs.

A consumer application is one that handles or transforms data. Forexample, a consumer, which may be implemented as a JAVA class,consumes/subscribes to a topic and calls/executes a method when amessage for that consumer arrives. In one embodiment, the hub 124 routesthe message to the appropriate consumer.

In one embodiment, the hub 124 sits outside the web server 112. In oneembodiment, the hub 124 exists on a separate server computer system toprovide data processing for the applications 128. By processing data,running producer and consumer applications, etc. outside the web servers112, the hub applications do not consume web server 112 resources.Furthermore, as discussed herein, the hub 124 obtains and transmits datamessages without requiring actions on behalf of a user system (e.g.,user web page request). Thus, the hub 124 also makes the framework-basedweb applications more efficient on the browser side by minimizingbrowser initiated requests and responses.

In one embodiment, the hub 124 further provides expert system-likefunctionality by providing applications programming interfaces (APIs)for interacting with a variety of knowledge bases (SQLALCHEMY models,resource connectors, caches, message queues, etc), creating frameworkwidgets, and monitoring and processing incoming data. One could theneasily build state-machines, inference engines, forward/backward-chaningrule-driven expert systems, etc.

In one embodiment, the framework widgets 120 are managed by theframework middleware 114 and the and the applications 128 are managed bythe hub 124. In one embodiment, the framework middleware 114 loads thewidgets 120 and applications 128 from storage of server computer systemsof the framework 110. In one embodiment, when an application, such asapplications 128 are to be integrated into the framework 110, the newplug-in application can be installed or plugged in anywhere on hub 124utilizing a framework entry point. In one embodiment, the frameworkmiddleware 114 locates and finds the widgets and applications uponstart-up, and loads the applications that have been registered at theentry points. Thus, with the framework 110, any plug-in can be installedas separate packages on the system utilizing package installationmethods such as RPM package management of RED HAT. In one embodiment,the framework middleware 114 can also locate and use widgets and/orapplications located externally to the framework 110, such asapplications of the external resources 140. In one embodiment, theframework middleware 114 utilizes entry point registration of theexternal widgets and/or applications to locate and load the appropriateapplications and framework widgets.

In one embodiment, framework middleware 112 also loads applications,such as applications 128 or framework widgets 120, In one embodiment,framework middleware 112 further loads, mounts, and exposes existingTURBOGEARS, PYLONS, or SWGI-compatible applications. Thus, variousadditional applications can be plugged into framework 110. In oneembodiment, framework 110 can expose all installed applications via alink (e.g., via a universal resource locator such as /apps/myapp), andfurther make the applications available to pull in additional frameworkwidgets for user in framework-based web applications, graphical userinterface dashboards, framework widgets, etc.

In one embodiment, the framework 110 further includes a cache memory 122and databases 118. In one embodiment, the cache memory 122 is atemporary memory that may be used and accessed by the hub 122 and thelive widgets 120. In one embodiment, the databases 118 may be utilizedby applications installed on the framework 110. In one embodiment,applications can specify a particular database, from databases 118, tobe used by the app. If no database is installed or selected, in oneembodiment, the framework middleware 114 will create a database for theapplication.

As discussed above, the framework provides a highly scalable platformfor creating web page user interfaces that include live/real-timeframework widgets. Furthermore, because the framework sockets, proxies,and framework middleware provide protocol abstractions and protocoltranslation abilities, the framework makes it simple for frameworkwidgets to extract and extend data from arbitrary resources in anintuitive and efficient manner. In the embodiments discussed above, theframework incorporates various components such as PYTHON, ORBITED, AMQP,WSGI, etc. Framework applications may be written using stablepre-existing modules for these components, which can be either exposedon the framework or provided via other means, to enable the rapidcreation of powerful applications utilizing framework widgets.Furthermore, the framework widgets, when combined with the hub andmessage broker(s) enable services to create, publish, and subscribe toarbitrary message streams.

In order to more fully explain the framework 110 and architecture forproviding real-time web applications, discussed above, embodiments ofsystem work flows are discussed in greater detail below with respect toFIGS. 2-4.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method 200 for providinga web page including a framework widget registered with a real-time webapplication framework. The method 200 is performed by processing logicthat may comprise hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software(such as is run on a general purpose computer system or a dedicatedmachine), or a combination of both. In one embodiment, the method 200 isperformed by a real-time web application framework (e.g., framework110).

Referring to FIG. 2, the process begins by receiving a user system webbrowser request at web server 110 for a web page including frameworkwidgets 120 (processing block 202). In one embodiment, the request is anormal web page request received by web servers 112.

In one embodiment, framework middleware 114 obtains registration data(e.g., widget existence, topic subscriptions, location) corresponding toframework widgets 120 that are to be rendered in a web page (processingblock 204). In one embodiment, framework 110 finds all framework widgetsand renders them on web servers 112 into HTML, JAVASCRIPT, CSS, etc.along with the rest of the requested web page.

Web servers 112 pass the framework widgets 120 through the frameworkmiddleware 114 to the requesting client 102 (processing block 206).

Framework middleware 114 dynamically injects a framework socket 150 intorequested web page (processing block 208). In one embodiment, theframework socket is a live socket that abstracts the TCP protocol andopens a connection with framework proxies, such as proxies 126. In oneembodiment, the connection is a persistent connection between theclients 102 and message broker 116. In one embodiment, the frameworkwidgets 120 register their existence with framework middleware 114before the framework socket 150 is injected into the web page. Theframework socket 150 then uses the framework widget 120 registrationinformation when rendering itself. Framework middleware 114 makes topicsof interest available to the framework sockets 150 (processing block210). In one embodiment, the framework middleware 114 makes the dataavailable to the framework sockets 150 when the framework sockets 150are rendering.

Framework middleware 114 dynamically injects application code callbacksinto each framework widget (processing block 212). In one embodiment, asdiscussed in greater detail below, framework widgets include pointers tocallback functions. In one embodiment, a callback function is a snippetof JAVASCRIPT code that performs additional processing on a receiveddata message. For example, a framework widget that is to display a listof feeds received from a news site, may receive feed data and thenexecute callbacks which prepend the new data to a feed list, animatesthe display of the new feed, highlights the new feed, etc. In oneembodiment, the framework widget includes pointers to the callbackfunctions to be executed by the framework widget, and processing logicutilizes these pointers to locate and dynamically inject the callbacksinto the framework widget as it is delivered to a client. In oneembodiment, the callback code is stored within the framework. In anotherembodiment, the callback bode is stored in a location remote from theframework.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method 300 for areal-time web application framework obtaining and distributing messagesto clients. The method 300 is performed by processing logic that maycomprise hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such asis run on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), ora combination of both. In one embodiment, the method 300 is performed bya real-time web application framework (e.g., framework 110).

Referring to FIG. 3, the process begins by an application 128 run by thehub 124 obtaining data for a topic (processing block 302). As discussedabove, a topic is an abstraction of a messaging queue. In oneembodiment, the application is a producer application that is loaded andrun by the hub according to configuration parameters of the application.For example, the producer application may specify that it is to be runevery N minutes in order to check for new data for a particular topic.The application would then be awoken by the hub to pole a data sourcefor new data. When new data is available, the application obtains thedata for distribution via the framework.

The application 128 run in the hub 124 transmits the obtained data to amessage broker (processing block 304). In one embodiment, theapplication run on the hub transmits newly acquired data to the hub asthe data becomes available. In one embodiment, the message broker may bea STOMP protocol-based message broker, an AMQP protocol-based messagebroker, or any other type of message broker. Furthermore, processinglogic may be configured to communicate with various message brokersaccording to various communications protocols. In one embodiment,processing logic translates the data message to a format appropriate forthe intended message broker.

The message broker 116 determine framework sockets that havesubscriptions to the topic (processing block 306). In one embodiment,the message broker determines what framework sockets, and thus webbrowsers, should receive the data based on framework widgetsubscriptions. As discussed above, the topic subscriptions areregistered with the framework and passed to the message broker when aframework widget is provided to a web browser in a requested web page.In one embodiment, the message broker may then use the subscriptions todetermine where to send newly received data messages, the recipientframework socket connection, etc.

Message broker 116 transmits the obtained data to proxies 126(processing block 308). In one embodiment, the message broker 116transmits the data messages to the proxies 126 when the proxies 126 hasan open connection established with the message broker 116. Furthermore,in one embodiment, the message broker 116 transmits the message when acorresponding framework socket 150 has subscribed to a topic that themessage is for.

The proxies 126 then translates the data to a protocol appropriate fortransmission to corresponding web browser framework sockets (processingblock 310). In one embodiment, the proxies 126 create socket connectionsbetween the clients 102 and the message broker 116. In one embodiment,the proxies 126 encapsulates data messages sent between the messagebroker 116 and the clients 102 in a protocol for transmission to andfrom the browser.

In one embodiment, the proxies translate the message from a STOMP orAMQP protocol formatted message to a communications protocol supportedby a receiving web browser, such as a FIREFOX, INTERNET EXPLORER, OPERA,etc. web browser. In another embodiment, the proxies may not need totranslate the data prior to transmission to a web browser. In oneembodiment, protocol translation can be handled by a framework socket.

Proxies 126 transmit the translated data, and data indicative of thetopic to which the data belongs, to the corresponding framework sockets150 (processing block 312). In one embodiment, proxies 126 establish araw connection between clients 102 and external resources 140. Inanother embodiment, proxies 126 utilize the subscriptions, registeredwith the framework and known to the message broker, to determine whatframework widgets rendered in clients and have subscriptions to thetopic corresponding to the data message. That is, for example, a datamessage may be ready for transmission to all framework widgets that havecorresponding topic subscriptions. Note that different framework widgets(e.g., a real-time graph widget, a news feed widget, a dashboard widget,etc.) may all have subscriptions to the same topic even though thewidgets themselves are different and execute potentially differentcallback functions. In one embodiment, the proxies utilize thesubscription data registered with the framework to send the datamessages to the appropriate clients for each of the framework widgetswith an appropriate topic subscription.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method 400 for aframework socket and a client to process an incoming data message for agiven topic. The method 400 is performed by processing logic that maycomprise hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such asis run on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), ora combination of both. In one embodiment, the method 400 is performed bya client and framework socket interacting with a real-time webapplication framework (e.g., framework socket 150 and client 102).

Referring to FIG. 4, the process begins with framework socket 150receiving data for a topic at a framework socket rendered in a webbrowser (processing block 402). As discussed above, in one embodiment,the data is received from a proxy 126 and includes data indicative of atopic to which the data message belongs. In one embodiment, the data isreceived in a framework socket 150 which has a live and open connectionto the message broker 110 via the proxy 126. Furthermore, the frameworksocket 150 is a live socket that was opened within a web browser run byclient 102 in response to the client's 102 request for a web pageincluding framework widgets.

In one embodiment, framework socket 150 decodes the received data into anative data object (processing block 404). In one embodiment, frameworksocket 150 decodes raw data into native objects because there arepotentially many protocols layered on top of each other between theframework widgets rendered in a web browser and the message broker 116.In one embodiment, the framework socket 150 decodes STOMP or AMQP datamessages, before further decoding the data and routing messages toframework widgets, as discussed below. While the proxies 126 ensure thatdata messages sent from message broker 116 are delivered to clients 102in tact, the framework socket 150 translates the data messages to andfrom the users web browser run on client 102.

Framework socket 150 routes the data to each of the subscribingframework widgets (processing block 406). In one embodiment, asdiscussed above, the framework socket 150 performs browser-side routingof the data to the subscribing widgets in a web page. In one embodiment,prior to routing the data to the appropriate framework widgets, theframework socket 150 may further perform data translation to format thedata for receipt by a target framework widget. In one embodiment,framework socket 150 is rendered with key/value pairs of topics andwidget callbacks. When framework socket 150 has received a data messagefrom the framework 110, framework socket 150 iterates over the widgetcallbacks. In one embodiment, framework socket 150 is rendered with adictionary object that contains the key/value pairs, and iterates overall callbacks in the dictionary.

For each framework widget with a corresponding subscription, frameworksocket 150 executes the callback functions associated with thatframework widget (processing block 408). In one embodiment, as will bediscussed in greater detail below, framework widgets may includecallback functions that perform additional processing of a received datamessage. The additional processing may include formatting the receiveddata, performing graphical user interface operations (e.g., displayingthe data, animating the data, updating the framework widget with the newdata, etc.).

The following example further illustrates the processes described above,with respect to FIGS. 2-4. The web servers 112 receive web page requestsfrom clients 102. These requests are passed trough the frameworkmiddleware 114 to obtain framework widgets 120 which are to be embeddedin the requested web content. Suppose that 3 framework widgets are to beincluded in the web content requested by the user, the widgets arereturned via the framework middleware 114 of the web server 112 andtransmitted to the client 102 via the network/internet 104. The webcontent including the framework widgets is rendered in a web browser runby the client 102. More specifically, when a user requests a web pagewith a live graph (e.g., a framework widget that enables a live graphuser interface component), the graph framework widget is returned andrendered to the user by a client 102.

As discussed above, the real-time web application framework includes andutilizes framework widgets for the development and deployment ofreal-time web applications. In one embodiment, framework widgetsleverage a library of web application code. In one embodiment, thelibrary is the standard TOSCAWIDGETS widget framework. In oneembodiment, a widget is a reusable web component or class that bundlesCSS, stylesheets, JAVASCRIPT, HTML, XML, etc. to provide a graphicaluser interface element and/or web application. In one embodiment, theframework widget is a graphical user interface web component, such as agraph, chat interface, display for data feeds, etc.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a framework widget 500.In one embodiment, the framework widget includes pointers 504 toapplication code libraries. In one embodiment, the pointers 504 enablethe framework middleware to obtain, for example, JAVASCRIPT that is tobe executed as a function of the widget. The actual code, stylesheet,CSS template, etc. are not included within 500 framework widget when itis created by an applications programmer or when it is stored on theframework. Rather the framework widget includes pointers 504 to theseelements stored in a storage of the framework, and the pointers enablethe framework middleware to efficiently inject the callback 506corresponding to the pointers 504 into the framework widget as thewidget is supplied to a client. As discussed above, the callbacksdetermine how a framework widget reacts to and processes message datawhen the message data is received.

In one embodiment, framework middleware dynamically injects thecallbacks 506 into each widget as the widgets are provided to usersystems. In one embodiment, the pointers 504 contained within a widgetare utilized by the middleware to locate and inject the appropriateapplication logic stored in a library of the web servers into thewidget. Thus, a widget may be an abstractly defined web component thatpoints to, and relies upon, more complex application logic stored by theweb servers in order to execute the programer-defined functions of thewidget. The middleware would then dynamically create the functionalwidget as it is provided to a user system on the way out of themiddleware.

In one embodiment, each widget further includes server-side logic 502.In one embodiment, the server-side logic is logic that a web server isto run each time the widget is rendered to a user system. In oneembodiment, the server-side logic 502 is extracted from the frameworkwidget as the framework widget is passed to a client.

In one embodiment, the framework widget 500 includes a topicsubscription or a list of topic subscriptions 510. As discussed above, atopic is an abstraction that represents a message queue (i.e., a STOMPmessage queue or an AMQP message queue). In one embodiment, each topicis a message queue abstraction that the framework widget is to subscribeto, and with the callback functions consume data messages received fromthe framework resulting from the subscription. More particularly, atopic includes data that points to a message queue, which the frameworkwidget points to at the message broker (with STOMP, the message queuesubscription is a destination/location; with AMQP the message queuesubscription is a particular messaging queue or exchange or routingkey). For example, a framework widget may specify that the widget is tosubscribe to an RSS news feed. As other examples of topic subscriptions,which are merely illustrative of possible topic subscriptions and do notlimit the number or type of topics that a framework widget may subscribeto, include subscriptions to financial data, web chat, CPU resourceconsumption data, etc. In one embodiment, the topic is an abstraction ofa message queue because the topic points to the message queue at themessage broker. In one embodiment, the framework socket discussed hereinis responsible for translating protocols between the framework widgetand a particular message queue/broker.

In one embodiment, the framework widget further includes one or morecallback functions 506. In one embodiment, the callback functions areJAVASCRIPT functions that are to be run in a user system web browsereach time data is received for the subscription. In one embodiment, thecallback functions 506 are additional handling processes for datareceived by a framework widget 500. As discussed above, the callbackfunctions 506 are dynamically injected into the framework widget 500 bythe framework middleware when the framework widget 500 is passed to aclient.

For example, a framework widget listens/subscribes to an RSS feed. Asdiscussed herein, an application running on the framework hubperiodically checks for new data at the source of the subscribed RSSfeed. The hub would distribute messages to the message broker, whichthen responds to the user systems that include framework widgetssubscribing to the RSS feed messages (e.g., a CNN news feed). When a newmessage is received by a framework widget, the callbacks further processthe incoming data. In the example, when new feed data is received forthe subscription, the callbacks may add the feed to the top of adisplayed list and slide the list down, animate the addition of the newfeed, highlight the new feed etc.

In one embodiment, the callback functions 506 for a framework widget 500are run in real time whenever data is provided to that widget. In oneembodiment, the callback functions 506 are implemented as snippets ofJAVASCRIPT code that the middleware wraps around a function embedded inthe framework widget 500, which takes a data message as input. Becausethe snippet is automatically wrapped by the framework, a developer maysupply any code they desire to handle topic data.

In one embodiment, a software developer may further customize aframework widget by overriding widget template argument 508 for theframework widget 500 by including further specifications as to CSS,JAVASCRIPT, etc. to impact the manner in which a framework widget isdisplayed and/or behaves when rendered in a web browser.

In one embodiment, as discussed above, the framework integrates with oneor more message brokers. In one embodiment, the framework includes logicto both connect and communicate with various message brokers utilizingcommunications protocols supported by each particular message broker.For example, the framework hub and the framework middleware includeapplications that enable each to communicate with a preexisting or newmessage broker. For example, the hub and/or middleware are able tocommunicate via a STOMP-based communications protocol to a STOMP messagebroker, or via an AMQP based communications protocol to an AMQP messagequeue. In one embodiment, the STOMP and AMQP communications protocolsare standardized messaging protocols.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a hub 600 in a real-timeweb application framework. In one embodiment, hub 600 includesapplication 604. In one embodiment, the framework hub is plug-in drivenand sits outside of the web stack and/or resides on a separate computingdevice entirely. In one embodiment, the framework hub is referred to asplug-in driven because the hub gains its functionality for deliveringlive and real-time messages to framework widgets when applications 604are installed on the hub as plug-ins. In one embodiment, eachapplication installed on the hub is installed at an entry-point (notshown) of the hub utilizing a package-based installation method,discussed below. In one embodiment, when the framework hub is started,the application loader 602 utilizes the entry points to load allapplications 604 installed on the hub.

In one embodiment, applications take the form of producer plug-ins 606Aand consumer plug-ins 606B. In one embodiment, each producer plug-in606A application is an application plug-in that performs a function togenerate data for the framework. For example, a producer function mightwake up, get data by polling an external resource, and sending obtaineddata as messages to a message broker. In one embodiment, a consumerplug-in 606B application is also an application plug-in, but instead ofgenerating data, consumes and/or transforms data into another state. Forexample, a consumer function might wake up, receive data from a producerfunction, perform a function to transform the data, and provide the databack to the consumer function for further processing.

In one embodiment, similar to a framework widget, each of the producerplug-ins 606A and consumer plug-ins 606B specify a topic or list oftopics to which the application corresponds. In one embodiment, the hubhandles connecting and subscribing to topics, and routing subscriptionmessages generated by the plug-in application to the appropriateframework widgets.

In one embodiment, each plug-in 606A and 606B is installed on the hubutilizing a package installation mechanism. In one embodiment, theinstallation mechanism is a real package management (RPM) file formatinstallation for installing and removing programs. In anotherembodiment, a PYTHON egg package is utilized. Once installed, eachplug-in sits on an entry point where the program exists on the frameworkhub (e.g., exemplary installation locations/entry points within the hubare framework.consumer, framework.producer, framework.app entry points,or any other entry point of the hub specified by a package installer).

In one embodiment, when the framework hub is started, the applicationloader 602 queries the entry points associated with applications 604. Inone embodiment, each entry point points to a framework component, suchas a producer, consumer, framework widget, etc. In one embodiment, theapplication loader 602 of hub 600 iterates over all entry points to loadand instantiate instances of each application associated with all of theentry points.

After all applications are loaded, the producer plug-ins 606A andconsumer plug-ins 606B are run by the messaging hub outside of the webstack. That is, the applications that are run by the framework hub donot consume compute cycles of the web stack and/or web servers.Furthermore, as discussed above, because the producers and consumersautomatically provide their functions (i.e., wake up and check fordata), a user computer system need not devote computation resources tomake a request, nor a server need not devote computation resources toanswering a request. Rather, the hub 600 performs data producer andconsumer functions independent of the web server.

Hub 600 also includes protocol translator 608. In one embodiment,protocol translator 608 obtains the output of applications 604 andtranslates the format of the data, by decoding and re-encoding the data,as necessary. For example, a producer plug-in may output data in aparticular format. When the data is to be delivered to an AMPQ-basedmessage queue, protocol translator 608 reformats any data messages to aform that the message queue can understand.

In one embodiment, framework hub 600 connects to, and communicates withframework databases, such as databases 118, utilizing protocoltranslator 608. In another embodiment, framework hub 600 may includeseparate protocol translators for routing messages and for communicatingwith databases.

Hub 600 further includes message router 610. In one embodiment, messagerouter 610 is responsible for receiving the reformatted messages, whichwere generated by applications 604 and translated by protocol translator608, and routing the messages to the appropriate message broker. In oneembodiment, the appropriate message broker is encoded within thetranslated message. In another embodiment, the appropriate messagebroker is defined based on the format of the message itself (e.g., STOMPmessages are routed to a STOMP message system and AMQP messages arerouted to an AMQP message queuing system).

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method 700 for a hub ofa real-time web application framework installing and running plug-inapplications. The method 700 is performed by processing logic that maycomprise hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such asis run on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), ora combination of both. In one embodiment, the method 700 is performed bya real-time web application framework hub (e.g., hub 124).

Referring to FIG. 7, processing logic begins by initiating programloading (processing block 702). As discussed above, various applicationsmay be installed on the hub of a real-time application framework. Theapplications may be developed according to various programming language,such as PYTHON, and installed on entry points, discoverable by the hub,utilizing an RPM package installation mechanism. In one embodiment,these packages contain “Python Egg” metadata that enables applicationsto plug into the framework entry points, which the framework utilizes todiscover any installed applications. In one embodiment, the programloading is initiated upon start-up of a framework hub.

Each application associated with an entry point is loaded by processinglogic (processing block 704). In one embodiment, processing logic of ahub loads all plug-in application that are installed on the entry pointsof a framework hub. The entry points are locations where the applicationresides and can be loaded from the hub.

Processing logic then runs each application that was loaded (processingblock 706). In one embodiment, the applications are run according to oneor more configuration parameters of the application.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method 800 for a hub ofa real-time web application framework to run a plug-in application. Themethod 800 is performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware(circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such as is run on ageneral purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or acombination of both. In one embodiment, the method 800 is performed by areal-time web application framework hub (e.g., hub 124).

Referring to FIG. 8, processing logic begins by waking up and running anapplication (processing block 802). In one embodiment, processing logicexecutes applications according to a configuration of the application.As discussed above, the applications executed by the hub may be consumerplug-in applications or producer plug-in applications. For example, aproducer plug-in installed on the framework hub may be configured towake up every 10 minutes to search a financial website for data on thestock market. In one embodiment, processing logic of the hub would wakeup and run the application to obtain the financial data on the specifiedschedule.

Processing logic processes any new data (processing block 804). In oneembodiment, when new data is available, a producer plug-in applicationobtains the data from the source (e.g., polls CNN FINANCIAL to obtainstock market figures). Processing logic would then transform the datagenerated or consumed by the plug-in and route the data message to amessage broker (processing blocks 806 and 808). In one embodiment,processing logic outputs the data to a protocol translator, whichencapsulates the data in a format appropriate for a given topic (e.g.,message queue). After the format of the message is translated, it isforwarded by a message router to an appropriate message broker specifiedby the topic in the plug-in.

In one embodiment, when the framework middleware loads for the firsttime, the middleware loads all applications and widgets in theframework. In one embodiment, the framework middleware utilizesapplication entry point registrations to locate which applications areto be loaded. The middleware then waits for requests to be received.

When the framework middleware receives a request, the frameworkmiddleware passes the request to the application(s) within the webstackthat are the subject of the request. For example, suppose theapplication is to render a framework widget. The framework middlewarewould render the framework widget on the server.

In one embodiment, the framework widget registers itself and existence(as discussed above) with the framework middleware. In one embodiment,the registration performed by the framework widget involves theframework widget informing the middleware of the widget's existence, atopic or list of topics the widget subscribes to, and other basicinformation about itself (i.e., location of the widget, identificationdata, etc.).

In one embodiment, a framework socket is also a framework widget. In oneembodiment, the framework socket is a communications interface renderedon a client along with any other framework widgets served in response toa user request. In one embodiment, the framework socket is anabstraction that enables a TCP socket to the server to be created withina user's web browser that creates a live and continuously openconnection back to the web servers. After the framework socket isrendered in the user's web browser, the framework socket communicateswith the middleware to determine what other framework widgets are beingrendered, to automatically connect through the proxies, and to subscribeto topics that each widget is related to.

For example, a user system requests a web page with a framework widget.As the framework widget is being passed through the middleware to theuser system, the framework widget registers itself with the middlewareand renders as HTML, etc. In one embodiment, as the web page, includingthe framework widget is supplied to the user system, the frameworkmiddleware dynamically injects the framework socket into the request webpage. In one embodiment, the framework socket is rendered and generatescode that will subscribe to all message topics of the framework widgetswithin the page. Furthermore, the framework socket injects the widgetcallbacks. As discussed above, in one embodiment, a framework widgetincludes at least one topic (e.g., an abstracted message queue) that thewidget subscribes to, and corresponding callback functions that operateon received topic data. In one embodiment, the socket injects JAVASCRIPTcode for the callbacks that is performed each time messages from thetopic are received by the framework socket. When the framework socket isrendered on the server, before it goes back to the user system, theframework socket subscribes to all of the topics. The framework socketfurther places the framework widget callbacks into itself to enable theframework socket to perform browser-side routing of data message (e.g.,to distribute topic data to the appropriate widgets in a web page).

In one embodiment, the framework socket may be thought of as a usersystem side router for topic data and callbacks. In one embodiment, theframework socket may be one of two types of framework sockets. In oneembodiment, the framework socket is a STOMP protocol socket forpublication and subscription. In another embodiment, the frameworksocket is a AMQP protocol socket for sending and receiving data throughthe proxies to the message broker. In one embodiment, the frameworkincludes a configuration file, stored and utilized by the middlewarestack, which can be configured to specify which type of framework socketis utilized. In one embodiment, the type of framework socket may be setby an administrator of the framework. In another embodiment, theframework socket is given a default value, such as the AMQP protocolsocket.

In one embodiment, the framework socket is an abstraction that utilizesa socket to subscribe to topics (e.g., message queues). In oneembodiment, the framework middleware enables acquisition of widgets andapplication directly from the framework. The plug-ins, frameworkwidgets, and applications are exposed via the framework to enable otheruser systems to access the widgets and applications, utilize them inuser created framework-based web content, etc.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system 900 within which a set ofinstructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In alternativeembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine inclient-server network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, aserver, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The exemplary computer system 900 includes a processing device(processor) 902, a main memory 904 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 906 (e.g., flashmemory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storagedevice 918, which communicate with each other via a bus 930.

Processor 902 represents one or more general-purpose processing devicessuch as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. Moreparticularly, the processor 902 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor,or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processorsimplementing a combination of instruction sets. The processor 902 mayalso be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor,or the like. The processor 902 is configured to execute the processinglogic 926 for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may further include a network interface device908. The computer system 900 also may include a video display unit 910(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), analphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 914 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 916 (e.g., aspeaker).

The data storage device 918 may include a machine-accessible storagemedium 930 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 922) embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The software 922 may also reside, completelyor at least partially, within the main memory 904 and/or within theprocessor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system 900, themain memory 904 and the processor 902 also constitutingmachine-accessible storage media. The software 922 may further betransmitted or received over a network 920 via the network interfacedevice 908.

While the machine-accessible storage medium 930 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-accessible storagemedium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media(e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated cachesand servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-accessible storage medium” shall also be taken to include anymedium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set ofinstructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine toperform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention.The term “machine-accessible storage medium” shall accordingly be takento include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media,and magnetic media.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure, that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, inorder to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Some portions of the detailed description that follow are presented interms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on databits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “processing”, “computing”, “calculating”, “determining”,“displaying” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of acomputer system, or similar electronic computing device, thatmanipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g.,electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-opticaldisks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable forstoring electronic instructions.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specializedapparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structurefor a variety of these systems will appear from the description below.In addition, the present invention is not described with reference toany particular programming language. It will be appreciated that avariety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachingsof the invention as described herein.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as may be suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by a hub servercomputing machine of a web application framework, an application,wherein the application polls one or more external resources to the webapplication framework to determine if at least one of new data andupdated data is available at the external resources; installing, by thehub server computing machine, the application on an entry point of thehub server computing machine, the application comprising one of aplurality of different types of applications to be run by the hub,wherein the plurality of different types of applications are detectableby the hub server computing machine upon start-up by scanning entrypoints; and executing, by the hub server computing machine, theapplication in conjunction with a web stack executed by a web serverseparate from the hub server computing machine in the web applicationframework, the hub server computing machine to execute the applicationoutside of the web stack; wherein the application, when executed,delivers messages to framework widgets operating on clients of the webapplication framework, the messages comprising the at least one of thenew data and the updated data found to be available at the externalresources by the application.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theapplication is installed utilizing a package-based installationmechanism.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application specifies atopic, the topic an abstraction of one a plurality of messaging queuesimplemented by a message broker.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thehub server computing machine operates independently of the web serverwithin the web application framework.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: loading each application installed on the hub servercomputing machine; and running the loaded applications according to oneor more configuration parameters associated with the applications.
 6. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium that providesinstructions, which when executed on a processing system cause theprocessing system to perform a method comprising: receiving, by a hubserver computing machine of a web application framework, an application,wherein the application polls one or more external resources to the webapplication framework to determine if at least one of new data andupdated data is available at the external resources; installing, by thehub server computing machine, the application on an entry point of thehub server computing machine, the application comprising one of aplurality of different types of applications to be run by the hub,wherein the plurality of different types of applications are detectableby the hub server computing machine upon start-up by scanning entrypoints; and executing, by the hub server computing machine, theapplication in conjunction with a web stack executed by a web serverseparate from the hub server computing machine in the web applicationframework, the hub server computing machine to execute the applicationoutside of the web stack; wherein the application, when executed,delivers messages to framework widgets operating on clients of the webapplication framework, the messages comprising the at least one of newdata and updated data found to be available at the external resources bythe application.
 7. The non-transitory computer readable storage mediumof claim 6, wherein the application is installed utilizing apackage-based installation mechanism.
 8. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the application specifies atopic, the topic an abstraction of one a plurality of messaging queuesimplemented by a message broker.
 9. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 6, wherein the hub server computing machineoperates independently of the web server within the web applicationframework.
 10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 6, further comprising: loading each application installed on thehub server computing machine; and running the loaded applicationsaccording to one or more configuration parameters associated with theapplications.
 11. A server computing machine comprising: a memory; and aprocessing device communicably coupled with the memory, the processingdevice configured to: receive an application, wherein the applicationpolls one or more external resources to the web application framework todetermine if at least one of new data and updated data is available atthe external resources; install the application on an entry point of theserver computing machine, the application comprising one of a pluralityof different types of applications to be run by the processing device,wherein the plurality of different types of applications are detectableby the server computing machine upon start-up by scanning entry points;and execute the application in conjunction with a web stack executed bya web server separate from the server computing machine in the webapplication framework, the application to be executed by the processingdevice in the server computing machine and outside of the web stack ofthe web server; wherein the application, when executed, deliversmessages to framework widgets operating on clients of the webapplication framework, the messages comprising the at least one of newdata and updated data found to be available at the external resources bythe application.
 12. The server computing machine of claim 11, whereinthe processing device is further configured to load each applicationinstalled on the hub server computing machine, and run the loadedapplications according to one or more configuration parametersassociated with the applications.
 13. The server computing machine ofclaim 11, wherein the application is installed utilizing a package-basedinstallation mechanism.
 14. The server computing machine of claim 11,wherein the application specifies a topic, the topic an abstraction ofone a plurality of messaging queues implemented by a message broker. 15.The server computing machine of claim 11, wherein the hub servercomputing machine operates independently of the web server within theweb application framework.